Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to surfactant(s) for use as cleaners (and/or fresheners) as well as novel methods for the production/use of said surfactants/cleaners. More specifically, the invention pertains to surfactant(s) for use as cleaners/fresheners that are produced from and/or using the leaf of the Sweetgum (Liquidambar) tree, and the formulation, method of production, and method of using such surfactants and cleaners/fresheners.
Relevant Art
Surfactants include compounds that lower the surface tension between two liquids or between a liquid and a solid, including detergents, emulsifiers (which serve to emulsify—e.g., fats and oils in water), foaming agents (such as soaps) that facilitate formation of foam, and dispersants. Generally, Surfactants are organic compounds that are amphiphilic, meaning they contain both hydrophobic groups (referred to as their “tails”) and hydrophilic groups (referred to as their “heads”). Therefore, a surfactant includes both water insoluble (i.e., oil soluble) components and water soluble components. Consequently, surfactants will diffuse in water and adsorb at interfaces between air and water or at the interface between oil and water (in the case of water mixed with oil).
A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleaning properties in dilute solutions. These substances are compounds that are similar to soap but are more soluble in hard water, including for household purposes laundry detergent and dish detergent as opposed to hand soap or other types of cleaning agents. Detergents, like soaps and other surfactants, work because they are amphiphilic, i.e., partly hydrophilic and partly hydrophobic. Their dual nature facilitates the mixture of hydrophobic compounds (like oil and grease) with water. Because air is not hydrophilic, detergents are also foaming agents to varying degrees. This quality is especially evident in dish washing detergents, which are usually comprised of high-foaming mixtures of surfactants with low skin irritation. Other surfactants include soaps used for washing, bathing and cleaning, (including shampoos and bar soaps), and dispersants. Even stronger cleaning solutions, such as those used on hard surfaces, are typically formed using concentrated solutions of surfactants (such as detergents) and water softeners, which enhance and improve the action of the surfactant in hard water.
Unfortunately, the surfactants commonly used to form the useful cleaning compounds and substances of prior art often have undesirable qualities. For example, many may be allergenic, unhealthy for humans and animals, and/or cause adverse environmental effects. One of the most well known examples of the latter is the problems caused by the use of phosphates in soaps and detergents. Phosphates improve the cleaning efficiency of soaps and detergents; especially in areas with “hard” water that contain excessive amounts of calcium and magnesium. However, the strong cleaning performance of phosphates is also coupled with extremely adverse consequences for rivers, lakes, streams, and other fresh waters. Levels of phosphates in such fresh water bodies is often much higher than normal due contamination from municipal and domestic waste water with soaps and detergents containing phosphates. Since phosphates encourage the growth of algae, they lead not only to such waters smelling bad, being unpleasant to swim in or look at, and unsuitable for drinking, but to—in the long range—the acceleration of eutrophication, where water bodies fill in with dead algae and other organic matter and eventually turn into dry land.
As previously noted, environmental and other problems clearly exist in the case of current surfactants used for cleaning, whether at a personal/individual level such as soaps and shampoos; a household cleaning level such as laundry detergents, dish washing detergents, and household cleaners; and/or at a more heavy duty or institutional level. These problems as well as an increasing personal and cultural drive to use natural substitutes in place of more artificially derived and manufactured surfactant consumer products has led to a host of new “green” products that have enjoyed, and can be used with, only limited success. An unexpected source of such has been discovered and developed by the inventor based on unexploited and unknown qualities of a common and even sometimes despised tree. The Liquidambar tree, and in particular the most common American species thereof. Liquidambar Styracilua (commonly known as the “Sweetgum” or “American Sweetgum”), is a familiar feature in the Southeastern United States. It is a deciduous tree native to warm temperate areas and is one of the main forest trees of the Southeastern United States. It is easily recognizable by its five-pointed star shaped leaves and hard spiky fruit. This fruit or seed is often considered a “pesky” byproduct of an otherwise attractive tree, causing it to be considered by many to be “trash” or “pest” tree for yards and landscaping purposes.
Nonetheless, the Sweetgum tree does have known uses. In the carpentry industry, the timber of the Sweetgum is important in the manufacture of plywood. It is also used for furniture, interior trim, railroad ties, cigar boxes, crates, flooring, barrels, woodenware, and wood pulp. The tree's gum resin, for which the tree is named, exudes from the bark of the tree when cut, abraded, or otherwise broken. This resin has many names including liquid amber. It may be clear, reddish, or yellow, and has a smell that is generally considered to be pleasant. It has long been believed that the gum and even sometimes the bark from the tree has medicinal properties and these parts of the tree are represented as such in folklore and older pharmaceutical publications. More recently, it has been determined that shikimic acid, a key ingredient in the production of Tamiflu, an anti-viral medication, can be usefully extracted from the seeds of the Sweetgum, though it is present in the seeds in far lower concentrations than are found in its usual source, the Chinese Star Anise. It is likewise found in small amount in the leaves of the Sweetgum.
Notwithstanding the uses found for other parts of the Sweetgum, the leaves of the Sweetgum have not previously seen substantial usage in any significant way, though there are some reports that certain American Indian tribes used the leaves, after soaking or boiling, for medicinal poultices and may have mixed them with tobacco for smoking. Likewise, one historic source dating to 1863 stated that the leaves of the Sweetgum “when green . . . [are] powerfully astringent . . . contain as large a proportion of tannin as that of any other tree [and can] be used whenever an astringent is required . . . cold water takes it up [and it can also be used] for tanning leather . . . ”
However, some interest has more recently been shown in the possible pharmaceutical uses of the leaves of Liquidambar. As well as normally expected chlorophyll and foliar nutrients (including nitrogen, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium), it has been found that leaf oil from this species obtained by simultaneous distillation extraction and analyzed in a 1989 study contained thirty-six notable components, all terpenoid. Terpenoids are lipids that can be found in all living things and constitute a large group of natural products. Plant terpenoids, in particular, are used extensively for their aromatic qualities (contributing to, e.g., the scent of eucalyptus, and the flavors of cinnamon, cloves and ginger).
The major Terpenoid constituents for Liquidambar were found by this study to be terpinen-4-ol, alpha-pinene and sabinene. Terpinen-4-ol is considered to be the primary active ingredient of tea tree oil and is also the compound of highest concentration in the essential oil of nutmeg. Alpha-pinene is found in the oils of many conifers, including pine. It also occurs in the essential oil of rosemary. Sabinene is one of the chemical compounds that contributes to the spiciness of black pepper. It is found in carrot seed oil as well as occurring in low concentration in tea tree oil. The study concluded that the “high terpinen-4-ol and low 1,8-cineole content make the oil of some pharmacological interest.”
Nonetheless, as far as can be determined, the bark, wood and gum of the Sweetgum have not seen any usage for, or inclusion in, cleaning/freshening products. This observation is even more unassailable in the case of the leaves of the Sweetgum, which (a) despite the study cited noting possible pharmaceutical uses have almost no record whatsoever of having a useful purpose in any area of prior art, and (b) more particularly, have no record of being used for cleaning/freshening purposes and/or in the production of, or for, cleaning/freshening products.